Is there potential to produce OSB in the NSW Hunter Valley?

This paper presents a preliminary review of the potential to produce Oriented Strand Board (OSB) in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales. An overview of the origin and world production of OSB provides a global perspective for the analysis. An analysis of the technical feasibility of producing OSB in the Hunter explores resource availability, processing technology, environmental concerns and infrastructure capacity. Domestic and export markets were reviewed to assess the potential demand for OSB produced in the Hunter. It was concluded that OSB production in the Hunter Valley of NSW is unlikely to be viable with current market prospects and technology. In the long term, developments in technology may facilitate OSB production from native forest eucalypts to take advantage of emerging niche markets in Asia.